Street to Kitchen chef wins Best Chef: Texas at James Beard

Street to Kitchen's chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter won the Best Chef: Texas category at last night's James Beard Awards in Chicago.

What's happening: Painter was up against four other chefs in the regional category.

Details: Painter and her husband Graham Painter opened the Thai restaurant in the summer of 2020 in an East End former gas station strip.

• Since the James Beard nomination earlier this year, Painter's 10-table eatery has been a lot busier, she tells Axios.
• The restaurant's signature dish is black truffle durian crab curry.

What they're saying: Painter says the Thai food in Houston didn't quite have the spice and flavor she loved from her native Thailand. So she talked to her husband and said, "Maybe one day, we can open a restaurant that has the flavor like my grandmother and my mom cook for me," she tells Axios.

Of note: Two other Houston locations were finalists on Monday: Mexican restaurant Tatemó for Best New Restaurant and Nancy’s Hustle for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.

Flashback: In 2022, Alba Huerta’s Julep on Washington Avenue took home the award for Outstanding Bar Program, earning the first national win for Houston.